Category: Russ and Tiña De Maris

By Russ and Tiña De Maris With summer coming along soon, the snowbirds have flown their winter “coop” in Quartzsite. Yes, the weather is actually warming up, and for those who can’t stand much above 80 degrees, it is time to flee northward. But what about those who are a bit more heat tolerant? Not far west from Quartzsite, the...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris An old friend of ours who’d recently bought a big motorhome detailed a “tale of woe” he’d experienced while trying to get ready for a road trip. Somehow things went gunnybag with his “pre-owned” rig’s inverter. Aside from having to replace the inverter, he also learned he’d need to have a big, 250 amp...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris As state park managers continue to find themselves caught in the middle of trying to keep the parks up and running and ever-shrinking budgets, two states in the Northwest are trying to get creative. Back in 2007, Washington park managers were handed nearly $95 million from the state’s general fund to keep their parks...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris Remember the days when you hit the supermarket checkout and the question was, “Paper or plastic?” Today the question for RVers seems to be, “Plastic – or china?” Yep, what you keep in your bathroom seems to make a big difference for some. When on-board RV toilets first came into vogue there was...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris If your RV has been sitting “in the mothballs” all winter and you’re readying it for travel season, don’t neglect the fresh water tank. It only takes about one mouthful of “yecchh!” water to convince you that water can go stale. What’s to do? Well, this is the same trick we recommend when you...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris As Federal Highway Administration funds get tighter, the condition of America’s roads reflects this budgetary bulimia: Potholes and rough roads abound, and you and your RV are the recipients. Those washboard workouts are not only hard on your dentures, but your RV gets thoroughly rattled as well. One area not often thought about: the...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris How do you keep your slideout happy? A little bit of maintenance and forethought will go a long way to making sure your RV experience doesn’t get unhappy when your slideout room won’t slide like it should. First, when opening or closing a slideout room, check the floor. Sand, grit, or other “foreign” substances...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris For a “heart sinking into your stomach” experience, there’s nothing like looking in the rearview mirror and finding your travel trailer isn’t there. Friends of ours recall one such occasion when theirs “got loose” and rolled off the road and into the brush. Theirs was a “good” experience of a runaway trailer—nobody got hurt...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris The fateful day may come to you, fellow RVer, when your roof vent crank gets cranky. You turn and turn that knob or crank, and nothing happens. Roof vent “operators,” as these mechanical crank assemblies are properly called, can just get cranky. At best, they’ll stop working when it’s hot inside your rig and...
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By Russ and Tiña De Maris Many new RVers are deathly afraid of doing something dumb, particularly in front of more experienced RVers. The first time backing the trailer into an RV site is perhaps the most terrifying of all experiences for a new RVer. We’re here to tell you that even “seasoned” RVers can do some completely off-the-wall things,...
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Of all the public lands, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has some of the best parks and campgrounds available. In fact, they’re the largest federal provider of outdoor recreation in the nation. This guide is perfect for RVers because all the hike-in, boat-in and tent only camping areas are not included, making it very easy to locate campgrounds that can accommodate RVs. Learn more or order.

Essential for big rig owners!

If you drive a big RV then the 2018 Rand McNally Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas will be a big help keeping you away from low bridges and narrow roads. The atlas is an essential aid even if you have a GPS! Covers USA, Canada & Mexico. Learn more or order

2017 Next Exit The Next Exit contains the most complete listings of services found at USA Interstate highway exits in print. Gas, food, campgrounds, shopping, points of interest and much more. Lightweight, easy to use listings of every major USA Interstate highway exit. Find everything you need in the windshield, not the rear view mirror.Learn more or order.

Secrets of RVing on Social SecurityAuthor Jerry Minchey takes you on a journey that lets you discover how you can travel around the country and live the fascinating RV lifestyle for far less than it costs to live in your sticks-and-bricks home. Among other things, he shows you step-by-step how to enjoy the RVing lifestyle while traveling and living on just your Social Security income. Learn more or order.

Best resource for free and bargain camping for RVers For many RVers, spending $30 to $50 a night to stay in an RV park is too much. Does staying free or nearly free sound better? Then you need OvernightRVparking, the best source of free and inexpensive places to stay with an RV. More than 13,500 locations are listed. Watch a video about this valuable resource. Free Demo shows how it works, just CLICK HERE.

By Greg Illes For many years, we lived with our factory Formica countertop. It was — well, serviceable is about the best I can say. Drab-to-ugly is more honest. We thought about Corian and some other products, but either expense or weight were big obstacles. Finally, I “bit...

By Russ and Tiña De Maris For years we’ve been talking to the bully pulpit to preach the importance of knowing your weight ratings and scrupulously sticking to them. I don’t know how many obviously overloaded rigs we’ve seen in campgrounds and on highways – sometimes broken...

Should an RV park that has an insect or dangerous reptile problem provide that information when a camper places a reservation? That’s what this reader asks. The answer, it seems to me, is to do some checking before making the reservation. A critter problem may be present one...

I recently wrote about how at RVtravel.com we do not accept paid content, even though we receive, almost daily, requests from advertising and PR agencies to “plant” their stories on our website and pass them...

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Boondockers Welcome members can connect with fellow RVers across the country who invite them to be a guest on their private property for a night or two. Meet locals with a common interest. Share experiences. Arrange safe, legal, free overnight RV parking all the way to your destination. Learn more.

This is not a real train. It’s a model at the AACA auto museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The train exhibit is pretty much a side show. The museum itself is superb. If you love old cars and automotive history, you...

By Gail Meyring Typically when I buy cleaning products I look for something that’s environmentally friendly such as Mrs. Meyers or Seventh Generation All-Purpose Natural Cleaners. These products say they’re tough on dirt and cut through grease...

Mike, I was reading an article you wrote about 30A pedestals. I’ve just purchased a piece of land and there’s a new 30A RV outlet. The problem is that the plug is 90 feet away from my RV parking. I’m trying to keep it near the connection to the septic system. The RV is a 30A travel trailer with...

Dear RV Shrink: We were recently camping in Yellowstone in one of our favorite, usually quiet campgrounds. Unfortunately, we ended up next to a lovely couple with a very noisy generator. I don’t think it even had a...

Here’s a question from a reader of RVtravel.com about boondocking. Hi Bob, Several times while traveling I’ve noticed areas of land that appear to be government property (no development), some without signage and others stating they are a...

You may not have thought about it, but that slideout on your RV that makes your living space so roomy can also be your enemy. Find out why in this short video from RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury. What...

Should an RV park that has an insect or dangerous reptile problem provide that information when a camper places a reservation? That’s what this reader asks. The answer, it seems to me, is to do some checking before making the reservation. A critter problem may be present one week and gone the next, or, in this case, the alligators may...

RVtravel.com contributor Gyro Gearloose (aka Wolfe Rose) reviews the Superbumper, and shows how his truck survived a rear-end collision with virtually no damage while the vehicle that hit him was totaled. The Superbumper is available from Mohr Manufacturing...

By Russ and Tiña De Maris For years we’ve been talking to the bully pulpit to preach the importance of knowing your weight ratings and scrupulously sticking to them. I don’t know how many obviously overloaded rigs we’ve seen in campgrounds and on highways – sometimes broken down as a result of failing to heed such advice. Every RV...

This excellent nine-minute video was recently posted by our friend Gyro Gearloose (aka Wolfe Rose). If you use a sway bar, keep in mind that each end of the sway bar MUST have the appropriate hitch pin installed...

Hi Gary, I have an older Nash 5th wheeler. I have one completely dead battery in it now. I want to replace it with two (Group 24) 12-volt batteries. I’m not sure how to hook them up. There is not enough room for two small 6-volt batteries,...

By Russ and Tiña De Maris RVing with a truck camper certainly has its advantages – but at times there are some drawbacks. Storage for some can be an issue. We’ve heard situations where a truck camper owner’s landlord wouldn’t permit him to off-load the camper and...

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Are you preparing to head out into the new world of full-time RVing? Congratulations! But if you’ve been a sticks-and-bricks dweller for many years, you’re probably face-to-face with a BIG problem: What do I do with all this stuff? Yep, accumulations of possessions...

Here is our monthly summary of RV recalls for March 2017 and related equipment we feel are of interest to our readers. This information has been gleaned from the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. This is NOT a complete list of all vehicles and related...

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